I’ve been an RN for a while now. I know what pee looks like. I know what vomit looks like. I also know what water looks like. If you hand me a urine sample cup full of tap water, can you at least make it WARM tap water? Some for vomit. No, I do not believe you just vomited up an emesis bag full of cold water. Is that ice floating in there?! The fake retching for the last two hours hasn’t persuaded me either.

I have quite a few friends who are advocating for Bernie Sanders. I can’t stand the man, for so many reasons.

He is pro-war. He has no problem with military intervention, anywhere in the world. He doesn’t want American boots on the ground. He just thinks we should fund more rebel groups in the area (that never backfires), continue dropping bombs, build the F-35 (he’s a significant backer), continue using drones to murder whoever the government says needs murdering, and continue economic aggression against other countries.

He supports the war on drugs. He states he supports “decriminalization” for drug use. This is code for arresting people and incarcerating them in involuntary treatment programs. Either way, he’s still asserting the state has the right to violently abduct people for what they choose to do to their own bodies.

He is opposed to an individual right to self defense, and supports widespread confiscation of civilian arms. For someone who claims to be “for the People”, he sure seems to like concentrating power in the hands of the few.

He is all around opposed to individual liberty, and seems to view people as no more than components of their race, gender, or the Almighty State.

Is there anything worse than the high pitched shriek of a two year old? Damn, do I hate that sound. It doesn’t make me want to help the kid, I just want to make the sound stop! Yes, I know the kid has a quarter stuck in his esophagus (Do they have to try and eat everything they find?!), but that sound makes me want to rip my ears off. Can I just give the kid some Versed already?

We’ve had several veterans brought in to the ER lately with suicidal or homicidal ideation. These men are largely in their 30’s, and are haunted by the wars in which they have fought. I’ve watched a man sob after a severe flashback. I’ve listened to stories of bodies torn apart by machine guns. I’ve seen scars caused by a 12 year old with a bayonet, who the man then shot in the face. I’ve seen the clean, straight cut marks on the abdomen that the man inflicted on himself years later.

What did these men sacrifice their bodies and minds for? Does anyone truly believe that the Middle East is any better off now than it was before we ‘liberated’ Iraq and Afghanistan? Instead, terrorism and extremism are stronger than ever. These men were sacrificed for nothing. If our politicians want a war, let them spend their own blood and money fighting it.

When I ask what brings you in to the ER tonight, do not start with, “Well, back in the 70’s….” If you’ve had your problem since before I was born, I have a hard time believing it’s an emergency tonight.

Bought a new firearm a couple days ago – A S&W M&P 15 Sport. It’s my first AR15 style rifle. I’ve only taken it out once, and that was a cold, windy day – so I didn’t fiddle with it much. Nothing like 30+ mile an hour winds to make shooting interesting! Now I need to get the iron sights zeroed, and start saving up for all the accessories to go with my new toy.

Someone asked me why I needed an AR. My answer was “Target shooting, and pissing off liberals!” So now I need to find a balancing way to piss off conservatives.